Sophie Hudson - Athlete Ambassador

Have you always been into sport?

I have! Growing up I enjoyed lots of different sports and tried everything out. I swam competitively from a young age until 15. I have also played rugby to county level from 13-16. From 16 to present I have been rowing competitively until I had a back injury which took 11 months to recover from. After my back injury recovered I decided to challenge myself in sports that I considered “not my thing” or “my weakness” which was mainly running. So I decided to run a half marathon. I completed that and loved running so much and missed cycling so I decided to complete a dualthon (10k fun, 40km cycle, 5k run) for fun and because I physically could. Most recently I have taken part in cycling the North Coast 500 in Scotland with my best friend (Georgina Noel, also a Sundried ambassador). It was a new type of challenge that I loved. It was so, incredibly tough, but so rewarding and my first taste of ultra-endurance - something I want to do more of.

How did you first get into triathlon?

I haven’t completed one yet but would love to!

If you are interested in getting into Triathlon, Sundried's kit is suitable for beginners as well as seasoned athletes. We have both men's and women's options available. 

What has been your favourite race to date and why?

My favourite race was a rowing race in July 2019 (pre back injury). It was my first win the the WJ18x and I was lucky enough to have my mum watch (usually busy travelling for work). It meant a lot because of all the dedication I had put in to train and all the extra support from my coach, and then to come out with a win with my mum there was the cherry on top.

What is your proudest achievement?

A tie between cycling the North Coast 500 which was challenging in every way possible and challenging myself enough to run a half marathon after my back injury which proved I can do anything I set my mind to. The recovery process was slow and painful. I told myself that when I could move properly I wanted to do everything I could before.

Have you ever had any racing disasters?

Not that I can think of.

How do you overcome setbacks?

I have kind of answered this in a previous question in April 2020 I was hit in my lower back and had a trapped nerve for four weeks and then another three weeks. I wasn’t able to move properly, I was either standing up or lying down for the first four months. The pain was incredibly high and could barely get sit down for long periods of time. The recovery process took 11 months, the first 5 being horrible especially when combined with trying to sit my A-levels. My rowing at the time had to stop and I lost the chance to compete at trials and race for the rest of the year. This impacted university applications for sport. A very tough time physically and mentally. I learnt a lot about myself through the rehabilitation time and have fortunately been able to start rowing again and can not wait to race.

What advice do you wish you'd been given when you first started out?

To not focus on results as much as the daily process of getting better. It’s very easy to focus on the results because they show you how good you are from the get go. However the process of building systems and habits that make you better, I think, is more valuable because of the compounding effect it will have in the future. Results are tangible and not always reliable, for example, some days it might not be your day and you get a bad result. Oppositely, if you put your effort into building habits trying to do something better everyday then it is a more consistent and accurate way of judging progress consistently.

What are your goals?

To be the best at whatever I choose to do. To set myself outrageously big goals that I have to step far out of my comfort zone in order to achieve.

Who inspires you?

My godmother, Pauline Sanderson. She cycled from the last point to Mount top of Mount Everest and was the first British couple to do so. Since then she is always doing crazy, adventurous things that just proves that you can if you want to.

Why work with Sundried?

I really like their environmental vision and making clothing sustainable which is really good for the environment, this is important for me and for future generations. I also really like that they make good quality clothing for a reasonable price which allows sport to be accessible to more people. My friend is an ambassador and she has said amazing things about the community, this is something I really want to be a part of.

To hear more from our ambassadors and get free tips on workout plans and more, connect with the Sundried Personal Trainers on our app.